Interlocking continuous roof assembly method for wind resistant roofing

ABSTRACT

A method of assembling metal roofs from roof panels is presented, whereby continuous double lock seams are used exclusively to join panels together. This roof manufacturing methodology results in a roof that possesses improved resistance to wind and water during storm conditions and thereby decreases the chances of the roof being damaged or destroyed by severe weather.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the methods of construction for residential and business building roofs with any pitch, single or split, flat or steep, with a continuous interlocking wind resistant metal membrane.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Roofing projects where the building design includes a change in the pitch of the roof, a “slope break”, present special difficulties for many roofing materials. This is especially true for long-panel metal roofing systems, where such a change in slope will usually require cutting the pan at the slope break, or require the use of two separate roof panels with a flashing at the slope break.

Many different flashing techniques and sealants have been employed by metal roofing installers over time to deal with such a change in roofing angles, with varying degrees of success.

The state-of-the-art flashing techniques often fail in extreme weather conditions when water blown by high winds penetrates flashing details at the ridge cap, valley, fascia, and slope break, because the flashing is not continuous and interlocking In particular, flashing techniques at slope breaks that rely on sealants to prevent water penetration will fail over time as sealants are weathered and age.

The present invention involves a field-proven technique that will allow the installation of roofing panels and ridge caps onto a roof with a split pitch in a single, continuous length without the need to cut the roofing panel. Roofing panels and ridge caps are installed from ridge to eaves with continuous double-lock standing seams without cuts or seams, thereby creating leak-proof conditions. The continuous nature of the double lock seams is crucial, because joints along the seam would permit water or wind to work on the seam and eventually split it open.

The typical roof in a high wind weather condition is degraded and eventually destroyed because one or more roofing panels and or the ridge cap are lifted off of the structure. When this happens, the entire roof is quickly peeled off of the building and the rest of the building is exposed to the weather. By eliminating the entry of water and wind under the edges of the roof panels and ridge cap, the roof will survive heavy hurricane force winds.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a standard American-style roof with eaves, pitched or flat, straight pitch or split pitch, or plantation style, resistance to winds of extreme force by forming a metal membrane of continuous interlocking flashing. With roofing panels, the present invention will confer resistance to all winds, not depending on thru fasteners or flashing with caulk.

All details of roof split pitch, valley, ridge cap, fascia are unique and new to the roofing industry because roofers have not been equipped to produce continuous panels and all other flashings in one piece, including ridge caps, valleys, soffit flashings, fascia cap, on site.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The objective of the present is to provide a methodology for assembling sheet metal roofs in such a manner as to minimize or eliminate leakage and susceptibility of the roof to wind damage.

A further objective of this invention is to make the methodology easy and cost-efficient to use.

A further objective of the present invention is to allow the methodology to be implemented with hand tools or power tools with hand tool finishing.

A further objective of the present invention is to permit all steps of roof manufacture using this methodology to be performed on the roofing job site.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. Perspective view of typical pitched roof

FIG. 2. Roof panel detail

FIG. 3. Ridge detail cross section

FIG. 4. Wrapped Fascia with Soffit detail cross-section

FIG. 5. Roof valley detail cross section

FIG. 6. Roof rake detail cross-section

FIG. 7. Wall to Soffit Flashing detail cross section

FIG. 8. An alternate rake detail cross section

FIG. 9. A roof in plantation style using the present invention

DETAILED SPECIFICATION

The method implemented by the present invention is intended to make waterproof and windproof seams between roof panels 102 and the roof ridge cap 103, where the roof ridge cap 103 is comprised of a male 104 and a female lock 105 panel. The present method is also used to assemble roofs from collections of roof panels 102 by means of producing double lock seams 115. FIG. 1 shows a typical metal roof 100 with a plurality of roof panels 102 connected with double-lock roof panel seams 101 and a roof ridge cap 103. Also shown is a typical dormer 106 roof with valleys 107.

FIG. 2 shows a composite roof panel 102 with rake 108. FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the roof ridge assembly. The male lock panel 104 and female lock panel 105 are joined at the top of the roof ridge cap 103 by means of a folded-over double-lock seam 10 formed by folding the mating edge 120 of the female lock panel 105 over the mating edge 121 of the male lock panel 104 to form a single lock seam, and then folding the single lock seam one more time to make a double-lock seam 110.

The length of the male lock panel 104 and female lock panel 105 is indeterminate, and can be of any reasonable length along the ridge of the building. The present invention method includes the step of manufacturing the roof ridge cap 103 on the building site to be as long as necessary to reach from one end of the building roof ridge to the other, comprised of two continuous pieces of metal, the male and female lock panels 104,105. The next step is to form a double lock seam 110 connecting the male and female lock panels 104,105 by double folding the mating edges 120,121 of the lock panels 104,105.

The width of the male and female lock panels 104,105, running from the mating edges 120,121 of the lock panels 104,105 to where they encounter the mating edges 130 of the roof panels 102, is set by design.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the method of the present invention can be applied to all areas of the roof 100 where metal roof panels 102 encounter each other or building fascia 111. In FIG. 6, the detail of roof panel 102 and roof rake 112 is shown. Note that the seams joining the roof panels 102 to each other and to the roof rake 112 are double lock seams 115.

In FIG. 8, an alternate embodiment of the seaming between a roof panel 102 and the fascia 131 is shown, where the fascia 131 terminates before wrapping under the roof 140. This fascia 131 arrangement is held down to the roof by means of a bracket 132 made of the same metal as the roof panels 102, joined to the roof rake 133 by means of a double lock seam 143.

As shown in FIGS. 4,5, and 7, where double lock seams are not possible, S-lock seams 150,151,152 are used to bind metal to metal. As with the double lock seams 110,115,143 shown above, the S-lock seams are made in single, continuous lengths where possible.

FIG. 9 shows a typical plantation-style roof made with the present invention. The break in roof slope is accommodated by means of folding the continuous metal roof parts.

While the foregoing describes a preferred method, variation on this design and equivalent methods may be resorted to in the scope and spirit of the claimed invention. 

1. A method of assembling metal roofs for buildings with a split pitch roof ridge to minimize wind and water damage to the building, the method comprised of the steps of mating a plurality of roof panels to each other with double lock seams, then mating the roof panels at the edges of the roof to a plurality of roof rake panels using double lock seams, then mating roof rake panels to fascia panels with double lock seams, then mating a roof ridge cap to the ridge cap end of the plurality of roof panels by means of double lock seams, the roof ridge cap formed with the method comprised of the steps of manufacturing a male lock panel and a female lock panel each in a continuous sheet of metal such that the male lock panel and the female lock panel are each as long as the roof ridge, the male lock panel and the female lock panel each possessing a seam edge and a roof panel edge, then joining the male lock panel to the female lock panel along the length of the two lock panels by means of a double lock seam at the seam edge of each of the male lock panel and the female lock panel, the double lock seam in each case formed by folding the seam edge of the female lock panel over the seam edge of the male lock panel once to form a single lock seam, then folding the single lock seam again to form a double lock seam.
 2. The method of assembling metal roofs for buildings with a split pitch roof ridge of claim 1 where the step of folding the seam edge of the female lock panel over the seam edge of the male lock panel is performed by means of hand tools, selected from the group of pliers, needle-nose pliers, hand seamers, and wooden mallets.
 3. The method of assembling metal roofs for buildings with a split pitch roof ridge of claim 1 where the metal roofs are comprised of a metal selected from the group of copper, galvanized steel, or aluminum. 